Are there any contaminates that become more toxic when boiled?
The answers at How long does water need to be boiled for to kill all bacteria / viruses? indicates that boiling water kills bacteria & viruses. But boiling does not remove any chemical contaminates that might be present. Neurotoxins are not "alive" so they can't be killed, though some like botulinum toxin are denatured by heat.
Historically the practice of boiling vinegared wine in lead pans to sweeten it was problematic. This was not due to a change, but rather leaching from the container (lead pan) to the fluid.
Are their any contaminates that might be present in water, that would become more toxic when boiled in modern containers?
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The answer is yes, potentially some contaminants could become more toxic compounds when subjected to heat. However the chances of you camping in such a location is rather remote, because places that get contaminated thusly are usually off limits.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/9904. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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There are essentially three categories here:
1) water contaminates made safer by boiling.
2) water contaminates unchanged by boiling.
3) water contaminates made more dangerous by boiling.
In case one, boiling works by killing biological organisms, rendering them unable to infect you.
In case two, there are toxins that won't be affected by the heat.
- Heavy metals
- toxins already secreted by organisms (like botulism)
- Gas/oil
In case three, it would be elements made worse by the heating or, in some cases concentration of the water if left to boil too long.
- Certain plastics break down under heat
- Salt (as pointed out by Abela)
So there are SOME cases, but it is likely not a major problem.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/9915. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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